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In today’s news from the Capitals:
The Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer wants to stop asylum seekers from picking and choosing the countries they apply for asylum in and is forming an alliance with Serbia and Hungary to that end. Read more.
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EU INSTITUTIONS
Brussels kicks gas price cap proposal down the road amid growing frustration in EU capitals. A potential EU-wide cap on gas prices remains in the balance with the European Commission yet to present a legislative proposal needed for its creation while countries remain split on the issue ahead of a meeting next week where ministers were expected to adopt it. Read more.
EU member states clip Commission wings in anti-coercion tool discussions. EU member states agreed on Wednesday on a common negotiating position regarding the EU regulation for an Anti-Coercion Instrument, significantly curtailing the European Commission’s powers to act unilaterally in reaction to attempts of economic coercion by third countries. Read more.
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BRUSSELS
Belgian court allows Doel 3 nuclear reactor decommissioning. The works currently carried out at the Doel 3 reactor scheduled for decommissioning can continue, ruled the Brussels Court of First Instance on Wednesday. Read more.
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BERLIN
Germany offers Poland aerial surveillance following missile explosion. Germany has offered to assist Poland in surveilling its airspace from Thursday after a Polish village near the Ukrainian border was hit by a missile on Tuesday. Read more.
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PARIS
Le Pen blasts France’s hypocrisy towards Italy over Ocean Viking. The French government has behaved hypocritically towards Italy over the current migration-linked diplomatic crisis, despite refusing to allow the Aquarius disembarkation in 2018, Marine Le Pen told Corriere della Sera. Read more.
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THE HAGUE
Dutch have given €322 million in military support to Ukraine. The Netherlands has provided €322 million in military support to Ukraine since the start of the war up until Monday wrote Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren in a letter to parliament on Wednesday. Read more.
UK AND IRELAND
LONDON
Hunt to present bill for Truss government’s economic experiment. Chaos caused by former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s short-lived mini-budget featuring £40 billion worth of tax cuts and spending increases has damaged the UK’s reputation, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey told MPs on Wednesday, with new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt expected to announce a series of major tax increases alongside spending cuts. Read more.
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DUBLIN
Irish officials barred from entering Russia. Ireland’s Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and numerous other top officials have been banned from entering Russia after the country sanctioned them over Dublin’s support for Ukraine. Read more.
NORDICS AND BALTICS
HELSINKI
New Finnish hydrogen plant: part of future transmission network? A new 300-megawatt hydrogen plant on Finland’s west coast may have significance to the Nordic Hydrogen Route (NHR), an initiative which intends to build a hydrogen transmission network around the northern Baltic sea by 2030, creating an open hydrogen market. Read more.
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STOCKHOLM
Former PM attacks new Swedish climate policy ahead of EU presidency. The new government’s budget and heavy cuts to the environment and climate budget were sharply criticised by former Social Democratic prime minister Magdalena Andersson on Wednesday as Sweden is set to take the Council presidency in 2023. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
No one enters illegally, says Italian government. The Meloni government’s hard line on immigration is confirmed, and Italy wants the EU to cooperate on the ‘epochal challenge’ of migration, Home Affairs Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in the Italian senate on Wednesday. Read more.
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MADRID
Real risk of technical recession in Eurozone, warns ECB. The Eurozone could soon enter into a mild technical recession following two consecutive months of economic contraction, ECB Vice-President Luis de Guindos warned on Wednesday. Read more.
VISEGRAD
PRAGUE
More incidents may come following Poland missile blast, says Czech expert. Russia’s intensified attacks on Ukraine could lead to more incidents, like the one that happened in Poland, Former Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army Jiří Šedivý warned. Read more.
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WARSAW
NATO vigilant following missile explosion in Poland, will do what is necessary, says Stoltenberg. NATO ambassadors agreed to stay vigilant, calm, closely coordinated, and to monitor the situation, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, emphasising the readiness of NATO to do what is necessary to protect the allies. Read more.
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak economy doing well but likely to fall into recession soon. While the economy kept a modest rise in the third quarter of 2022, the Central Bank expects the country to fall into recession at the turn of the year. Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
TIRANA
30% of Albanians live abroad amid increased migration woes. Albanians form the third largest diaspora in the world, with some 30% of those born in the country now living outside its borders, according to data published by Forbes, as a tense situation between Albania, Europe, and the UK continues to simmer due to increased asylum flows. Read more.
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SOFIA
Bulgaria removes COVID-19 regulations. The last restrictive COVID-19 measures, including the use of masks in pharmacies and keeping a 1.5-meter distance in commercial establishments, will be removed, Bulgarian authorities announced on Wednesday. Read more.
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BUCHAREST
Member states to visit Romania for Schengen evaluation. A mixed team of experts from the European Commission and member states, including the Netherlands, will visit Romania to clarify any issues regarding the country’s implementation of the Schengen acquis, the government said on Wednesday. Read more.
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BELGRADE
Serbia to use natural gas reserves. Serbia has started using its natural gas reserves because the daily supplies no longer cover its needs, President Vučić said. Read more.
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LJUBLJANA
Slovenia withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty. Slovenia is no longer a party to the Energy Charter Treaty after the Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously endorsed the government’s proposal to withdraw on Wednesday. Read more.
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PRISTINA
War, pandemic impacts passport production in Kosovo. Kosovo citizens and residents were unable to get passports or driving licenses issued for the last two months due to a shortage of materials caused by the ongoing crises. Read more.
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AGENDA
- EU: Vice President Frans Timmermans delivers opening remarks at the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy side event on energy transition at COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt;
- Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson participates in the G7 Interior and Security Ministers meeting, in Wiesbaden, Germany;
- Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton delivers a keynote speech at ‘The Unitary Patent System, a game changer for innovation in Europe’ high-level conference, in Brussels, Belgium;
- Vice President Margaritis Schinas meets with the ruler of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates; Participates in a high-level panel discussion on ‘Migration: what are we doing right?’ at the 2022 Annual Summit of the Global Citizen Forum
- Financial Stability & Services and the Capital Markets Union Commissioner Mairead McGuinness delivers a speech on the progress of the Capital Markets Union (CMU) at the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) anniversary event;
- Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders delivers opening speech at the European Consumer Day 2022, themed ‘Empowering consumers for a more sustainable world’; Participates in the European Business Summit (EBS);
- European Parliament President Roberta Metsola participates in EU Parliament’s Conference of Presidents; Attends working lunch with Permanent Representatives Committee II (COREPER II) ambassadors;
- Findings of FEMM delegation to Poland gives a press conference on the backlash against women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights;
- ‘Western Balkans: Smart Cities Economic Forum’ takes place in Prague, Czech Republic aiming to strengthen economic ties between the EU and Western Balkans;
- The top body of the European agency EU-LISA, responsible for the operational development of large-scale European information systems in the area of freedom, security and justice holds a meeting in Prague, Czech Republic;
- Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets with representatives of the finance industry;
- Luxembourg: OECD ministers meet on public trust and democracy;
- Greece: Anniversary of violent suppression on 17 November 1973, of the Athens’ youth uprising against the military junta of 1967-1974;
- Australia: International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) World Congress takes place;
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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Vlad Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Zoran Radosavljevic, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
